Four earn PCAC Athletes-of-the-Month

The month of February was a good one for the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference, with a number of programs having exceptional results.  Southwestern's Trudie Nixon, Mt. San Jacinto's Alyssa Walton, San Diego City's Rafael Maniego and San Diego Miramar's Damien Miller were selected the best of the best, earning the PCAC Athletes-of-the-Month for February.

With the basketball season winding down and the spring sports kicking into high gear, a number of programs are finishing up with the basketball playoffs while others are starting to get into conference play during the spring semester.  This month's selections were a good cross-section of both, with two basketball players making the list along with a softball player and tennis player.  It easily turned out to be the toughest selection so far, with a number of good athletes being selected honorable mention. 

ATHLETES-OF-THE-MONTH (WOMEN)

Gertrude "Trudie" Nixon, Southwestern (softball)
Nixon did something that had never been done before in Southwestern softball history when she threw the programs first no-hitter against Santa Ana College on February 8.  She went on to finish 4-2 for the month of February with a 0.66 ERA.  In addition, she batted .389 at the plate, including a performance where she went 3-for-3 with two doubles and five RBI against Imperial Valley on February 20. 

Alyssa Walton, Mt. San Jacinto (basketball)
Walton capped off the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference season by being named the Player-of-the-Year for the PCAC North and leading her team to undefeated conference title.  In addition, Walton was named 2^nd Team All State in the process.  She averaged 17.4 points and 8.4 rebounds in five games during the month, including a 26-point performance against MiraCosta on February 8.  She also had 10 points and nine rebounds against Palomar in the very next game, clinching the PCAC North championship.  Walton and the Eagles will play on Saturday night at Los Angeles Trade Tech in the Southern California Regional Finals. 

ATHLETES-OF-THE-MONTH (MEN)

Rafael Maniego, San Diego City (tennis)
Maniego went 7-1 in singles and 7-1 in doubles play during the month of February, helping the Knights to a 7-1 finish for the month.  He was responsible for clinching three of the matches along the way as San Diego City won seven straight matches to end the month of February.  San Diego City has won two more matches since the end of February, extending their winning streak to nine while improving to 9-2 overall 

Damien Miller, San Diego Miramar (basketball)
Miller finished conference play by being named to the 1^st Team All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference North Team, helping the Jets to a third straight appearance in the CCCAA Southern California Regional Tournament.  During the month of February, Miller averaged 17.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 5.8 assists-per-game.  He had four games over 20 points for the month, including a 29-point performance against Mt. San Jacinto on February 13 (11-for-13 shooting) and a 25-point game against MiraCosta on February 15.  Miller shot 59% from the field for the month, making 11-of-24 from three-point range. 

HONORABLE MENTION ATHLETES-OF-THE-MONTH